welcome to "newsline" on nhk world. japan has advanced to its first ever final in the women's world cup in germany after a win. the united states won the other semifinal against france, 3-1. japan scored nine minutes after sweden was allowed a goal. and then the captain netted a goal putting the team in the lead. and then scored four minutes

later. that put the national team into the final securing a first medal for the country. japan will have to beat the united states on sunday to win its first ever world cup victory. the united states is gunning for its third title. >> it was a very good game. we hope japan gets the world championship. >> it was fantastic. i have to root for the usa now. yes. but i hope it will disturbance bo -- both teams will have a good game. >> now we go to the latest in business news. >> thank you. let's look at the united states. in testimony before u.s. congress on wednesday the federal reserve chairman said

the central bank would be open to new economic stimulus measures if necessary. the u.s. meeting on the economy is held twice a year. ben bernanke said the weaker performance than expected continues in the u.s. they include an expected recovery. he pointed out the possibility thathe economic slowdown may continue due to a sluggish housing market and high food prices and risks of deflation may resurface. based on these factors the chairman talked about extra measures they could take, and they included more bond purchases and a clarification of the super easy money policy. >> the possibility remains the economic weakness may prove more

persistent than expected and that may apply a need for additional policy support. we have a number of ways we could ease the financial conditions further. >> he stressed the central bank is ready for new measures. now let's get a check on the markets. the dow snapped three days of losses after comments from bernanke gave markets some cheer following his testimony in congress. to see how markets are trading here in japan, we will go to the tokyo stock exchange. good news for the markets, but some hesitancy in the markets toward the close. how are tokyo stocks reacting? >> good morning to you. some hesitants.

and the comments by ben bernanke gave markets a pop. a little bit of negative fallout. and also lingering concerns about the debt problems, and a warning for moody's investing services that the u.s. may lose its top aaa rating if it doesn't sort out its debt ceiling issues soon. that played into the currency markets as well. we did see the euro gaining against the dollar and pushing back a little bit against the yen, currently around the 1,200 levels, and with the dollar yen in the upper 78 levels. we will see how that plays into exporters, and let's not forget that is the closest we have come

to the dollar yen levels since the post march 11th earthquake when it hit the lower 76 yen levels. later today the operator of a fast retailing store is going to come out with earning results, and we're yet to hear from google and jp morgan chase, and both are due out later today in the u.s. key sectors there for the market to focus on. and let's not forget economic data, as well as the weekly jobless claims and that follows the jobs numbers that came out last friday. a lot of intense focus on that. domestically, of course, also some focus on the nuclear energy sector and the energy sector following prime minister kan's speech yesterday, stating the intention to phase out nuclear power in japan. we will have more on that later in the news program. back to you. >> thank you for that.

that was our market reporter from the tokyo stock exchange. toyota motor is finding it difficult to improve efficiency. it says it needs to streamline production lines without laying off workers. toyota president said on wednesday that as a japanese firm the auto maker will struggle in achieving domestic output of over 3 million units and keeping its payroll unchanged. toyota has seen a decline in its domestic earnings as it cannot raise the capacity usization of its plants. vice president in charge of production said that toyota will scrap some of its old lines in the future. now, a recap of the latest

market figures. that is all for business news. local authorities say terrorists are to blame for some blasts in mumbai. three bombs exploded almost

simultaneously around 7:00 p.m. on wednesday. it struck a jewelry market and two other crowded districts. the bombs were set in advance. mumbai was targeted in 2008 leaving more than 160 people dead. the attacks were blamed on pakistani islamic extremists. wednesday's attacks came after the two countries agreed to resume foreign ministerial peace talks at the end of this month. india is preparing for several important diplomatic events in the weeks ahead include a visit by u.s. secretary of state hillary clinton next tuesday. in washington, clinton says her trip will go ahead. >> i believe it's more important than ever we stand with india, deepen in our partnership and reaffirm our commitment to the shared struggle against terrorism. the international community condemned wednesday's attacks.

u.s. president barack obama said in a statement that the u.s. will provide full support in an investigation. a united nations security council statement described terrorism as one of the most serious threats to international peace and security. >> any acts of terrorism are criminal and unjustifiable regardless of their motivation, wherever, whenever, and whomever by committed.

prime minister kan has called for a rescission of the nuclear policy. >> translator: i believe that japan should aim at building a society that is not dependant on nuclear power. we need to reduce nuclear independent. in terms of administration, many people had been pointing out early on that the nuclear and industrial safety agency had insufficients in checking.

for example, i have asked to suspend the operations and introduce the stress test. these decisions are based on my position to insure the safety of the people. they are also consistent with my basic ideas on nuclear energy. >> kan also said the government is responsible to answer questions in the public sector. earlier, we spoke with the political comen tater on the policy. >> what is your take? >> he explains the importance or significance of the stress tesss on the nuclear power plants in

japan before restarting them and he asked for public support. he also called for our fundamental review of how the government overseas nuclear energy. kan said the nuclear and industrial safety agency, it's kind of japan's nuclear watchdog, must be separated from the industry, and he stressed that this would allow more objective safety checks. >> and the prime minister called for reduced dependance on nuclear power, didn't he? >> yes, he wants to boost renewable energy. the prime minister also addressed concerns raised by the business sector that a delay in restarting nuclear power plants could cause electricity shortages. kan urged the companies to make better use of private power generations. he said if the japanese people

and the businesses make enough efforts to save energy, there will be no power shortages. >> what made him to hold a news conference? >> well, kan was under pressure to explained the confused policies about nuclear energy, nuclear power plants, and this is a background on how he handled the energy policy. >> the regions have faced power shortages and some areas had to reduce electricity use due to planned outages. the quake also had tremendous impact on the nuclear power. operations at 35 of the 54 nuclear power plants in japan were suspended for safety checks. the government has asked businesses and households using power from the electricity power companies to cut electricity use by 15% compared to last year.

some companies decided to move their hours forward and others relocated temporarily to western japan. many local governments with nuclear power plants in their areas are reviewing whether to restart operations of their plants. after successful safety checks of the plan the in western japan, the minister asked officials to allow operations to resume. >> translator: i know it's not an easy decision to make of the locals, but i would like to ask to restart operations. >> but prime minister kan was cautious about the plant restarting. he ordered cabinet members to put in new rules, like the

stress tests. >> translator: under current rules, the nuclear and industrial safety agency and the industry minister can decide whether a nuclear reactor can restart after regular checkups, but i think the public can no longer be satisfied with the current system. >> kan's announcement created a rift between him and a member of his cabinet by his announcement. local governors criticized the central government for its confusing response to the disaster, and urged the government to draw up a basic reconstruction plan to help quake-stricten people. >> prime minister kan seems eager to be resizing the energy policy, but while the poll shows

the public support for kan is at 16%, and it's the lowest number since 2009. what do you think of that? >> well, i think the people do not simply trust naoto kan anymore. most people know it's not a good time to get a new prime minister, as the country is still rebuilding itself. but they have grown tired of swapping on the reconstruction of the nuclear polici. they believe he always announces important policies off the top of his head. his news conference is apparently to ease criticisms and concerns. but the prime minister did not mention any concrete steps to achieve a nuclear free society, so i don't think japanese people and businesses are satisfied with kan's explanation today. >> all right. thank you for your insight. appreciate it.

>> japan's nuclear and industrial safety agency ordered the operator of the nuclear plant to tighten control on the radiation explorer. they are struggling to contain the nuclear crisis. the safety agency has been inspecting tokyo electric power measures to protect from the exposure from radiation. it found eight areas of concern, and on wednesday it ordered tepco to take measures. it ordered the company to boost the number of safety managers and provide full-faced protection masks and make sure plant workers wear them properly. since the nuclear crisis began in march, six workers have been exposed to radiation doses above the allowable levels.

1,500 have yet to receive medical checks for radiation exposure. a number of trails linking beijing and shanghai have broken down in the two weeks since the line opened. the flagship line was lunched last month. the state agency says 19 trains were delayed on sunday due to a circuit caused by a storm. and then trains were delayed by faulty supply equipment. then on wednesday, a train broke down causing a 2 1/2 hour delay. the passengers were forced to transfer to another train. some rail experts have expressed concern the line was constructed too quickly in only three years. they also say that two types of train cars with different standards are operating on the same line as a result of using technologies from japan and

germany. the chinese government maintains the trains are safe and there are no problems. newly independent south sudan is to join the united nations. they are expected to vote as early as thursday to welcome the newest member. >> the republican of south sudan be admitted as a member of the united nations. >> the security counsel unanimously endorsed the membership on wednesday. it's the newest african nation from saturday. and they thanked the council on behalf of his people. >> the people of sudan accept the obligations under the shadow of united nations.

>> u.n. secretary moon welcomed the decision and called for international support. >> institutions of government are weak, and there are tremendous challenges on every front, and social services, health, education. our responsibilities are numerous and the role of the u.n. is vital. >> the country's independence came after a referendum in january that vote to succeed from the north. that ended decades of civil war that killed some 2 million people. we begin with this item sent by malaysia. there was a participation of a launch of a gas treatment plant and onshore gas treatment plant on tuesday.

the plant is the first project to be undertaken in the country by malaysia state run company. they were awarded the contract in 1996. the plant has a production capacity of up to 500 million standard cubic feet per day. they spent $14 million to train nationals to handle the operions of gas plants in the country. the shaw lan k rin government stepped up a campaign to reduce air pollution. there are around 4 million vehicles registered in the nation with $2.7 million clasfied in running condition. they have increased the frequency of random checks. the owners have to submit certificates showing the

admissions of cars are within the limits. owner not complying with the standards have two weeks to rectify the problem. and then a trade fair in bangkok to boost the country's exports. they are showcasing their products, including garments and toys. a senior government official said the volume of thailand's experts surged to over $200 billion over the past two years thanks to promotional activities. hello and welcome to your weather update. we are keeping a close eye on the tropical storm system here.

it's moving at a good pace here packing winds over 120 kilometers. right now it's impacting the northern islands with strong winds and heavy rains. it's expect the to intensify steadily. elsewhere, we're looking at the long frontal system affecting china and the korean pennsylvani peninsula. that will impact north korea as well as the northern end of south korea, and we're looking at high flooding and landslide risks here. and southern china here into northern vietnam, we have a low pressure that continues to linger. as for japan, we will start to see rain coming in from the west and becoming more substantial and heavy at times, and in terms

of temperatures, it will be extremely hot today, once again many areas exceeding 30 degrees. heat advisories have been issued to make sure you are well hydrated and avoid outdoor activities if you can. and coming in at 32 degrees in shanghai. now across north america, lots of showers to talk about here. severe thunderstorms breaking out in the northwestern corner near the low pressure system for montana as well as alberta. we have significant rain across the four corners into the plain states. lots of moisture coming in from the south and along the cold front as well as wide-spread rain developing here. here it will be very hot and humid, and quite uncomfortae, really. 37 in houston. it really stays hot down in the southeastern corner but cooler as we head into the northwest.

now for europe, severe weather conditions developing across western parts of europe. strong thunderstorms reported in parts of france, spain, and switzerland, as well as germany. now the system will make its way in a northeasterly direction before moving into sweden on your thursday, bringing the heaviest rain and strong thunderstorms to this part. and then a long a frontal line we will see scattered showers, but nothing as severe as what we were looking at yesterday. out towards the west, it's sunny in spain and portugal. it will be sunny for you, and 22 in london and 21 in paris, and looking cooler in vienna. all right. here is your extended forecast now.

japan has advanced to the first ever final in fefa world cup in germany after a win on wednesday. the united states won the other semifinal against france, 3-1. japan scored in the first half of the semifinal, nine minutes

after the team allowed sweden a goal. 15 minutes into the second half, japan's captain netted a goal, putting the team in the lead. and they clinched the scoring again four minutes later. that put the national team into the final securing a first medal for the country. japan will have to beat the united states on sunday to win its first ever world cup victory. the united states is gunning for its third title. >> yeah, it was a very good game. we hope japan gets the word championship. >> it was fantastic. i have to root for the usa now. yes. but i hope it will -- both teams have a good game. >> should be a good game. that concludes this edition of

"newsline." thank you for joining us.

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